Liverpool manager Arne Slot is pleased with the level of creativity from new signing Florian Wirtz, with the Dutch tactician drawing comparisons with former right-back Alexander-Arnold, Afrosport reports.
Alexander-Arold was one of the biggest creative forces for the Reds since making his senior debut in 2016, scoring 23 goals and providing 94 assists, 67 of the assists coming in the Premier League, making him the defender with the most assists in English top-flight history.
He however left for Spanish giants Real Madrid with Liverpool purchasing Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen as his replacement.
The Reds also got forward Wirtz from Leverkusen in a club record £116 million deal, and he impressed in the 3-2 pre-season win over Athletic Bilbao on Monday, by being a solid link between midfield and attack.
Reacting to his performance, Slot said: “I think there’s always room for improvement in every department. Like I said, we’ve added a few, in my opinion, extra weapons. So, Florian [Wirtz] has a lot of creativity in the final third.
“We’ve lost with Trent [Alexander-Arnold] a lot of creativity from the back. Trent’s crosses and picking out runners was so special – I think Flo has this quality as well in a totally different position.
“But he brings that creativity, the pace of Hugo [Ekitike], the pace of both full-backs – Milos [Kerkez] and Jeremie [Frimpong].”
First appearances as Reds at Anfield for our summer arrivals ✊🔴 pic.twitter.com/lu8GMf1w7h
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Wirtz scored 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 competitive appearances in his five years at Leverkusen, winning the Bundesliga, German Cup and German Super Cup in 2024.
